NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

The Lakers' victory is hardly cause for celebration; three key weaknesses indicate a difficult road ahead!

Winning was luck, losing was a complete defeat; have the Lakers encountered their biggest nemesis after dominating the Western Conference?

The Cavaliers return home with a bang, and sources say they are confident of closing the series at home!

Cleveland Carnival! Can this team, who have never won a top-tier sports league championship in their history, break their losing streak this year?

Five key advantages prove the Cavaliers are poised for victory, while the Lakers are on their last legs!

Jackson's four blunders turned a big win into a narrow victory; is the 'Zen Master' no longer suited to the high-level competition of modern basketball?

What happened to Kobe? After shooting 6-for-24 in the first game, he was substituted out of the game in the second game when his shooting touch returned!

The Lakers' internal strife is palpable, stemming from the Finals MVP race!

Unequal distribution of spoils could cause a dynasty to collapse before it is even established!

……

After the game, there were almost no media outlets cheering for the Lakers. Their reputation plummeted, with the media overwhelmingly criticizing and speculating about them.

The Lakers have reached the worst point in their history.

Even now, the series score is only 1-1.

But many people are already eager to crown the Cavaliers and celebrate their coronation ahead of time.

Kobe's titles of "King of Losers" and "Super Runner-up" have been brought up again.

The Lakers, the second-best team in the league, are about to lose more than 20 NBA Finals games, which accounts for one-third of the league's total.

When it comes to losing the Finals due to injuries and angrily taking the runner-up title, the Lakers could really shout: "Come at me all at once, what do I, the Lakers, have to fear!"

In short, the Lakers are in the worst possible situation.

Jackson, however, was very happy.

For him, this was an unexpected surprise. He had genuinely thought that he might not be needed this year, and that his dynasty theory and plans would be aborted.

But now he feels that his time to make his appearance is finally almost here!

Given this public opinion, this environment, and this terrible situation, they need a super coach to enlighten the whole team, help them regain their form and confidence, and then defeat their opponents in one fell swoop!

However, Jackson still didn't make a move!

The old man is now addicted.

He's definitely on a gambling spree!
Since it's already 1-1, let's wait until after the third game before making our move. If we wait until after the third game, it will definitely be a game-winning shot!

A single move reversed the course of the game, a single move reversed the course of the series, and a single strategy united the entire team, motivating them to give it their all!
We're just waiting for them to lose the third game!

Jackson was completely unaware that his thinking had gone awry.

What head coach would want their team to struggle in the Finals? What good person would hold back at this crucial moment and prevent their team from unleashing their full potential?

It's Jackson!

This guy has completely gone mad. I wonder if he'll regret it after the team actually loses, or if he'll suddenly realize that things are out of control.

In short, Jackson did nothing.

He decided to wait a little longer.

This guy has now completely become a gambler, an addicted gambler.

Fortunately, this time, the Lakers did not disappoint him.

Lost!

The Lakers lost Game 3 of the Finals as expected.

1: 2!

After the first three games of the series, the Lakers were once again trailing.

There's not much to say about the course of this match; it was just a mediocre defeat.

But for Jackson, the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived!

The place where he began his performance was the post-match press conference. That night, he didn't bring a single player to the press conference; he came alone.

“You all go to the locker room and wait for me. I’ll face this situation alone tonight! Let them criticize and ridicule me, let them question and mock me!”

"I am the head coach, and this is the responsibility I should bear!"

These were the last words Jackson said to the players in the player tunnel. Then, with tragic steps, he resolutely walked towards the execution ground.

No, at the press conference.

"It's all my fault. I'm willing to take full responsibility. The reason for the loss is me. I didn't command well. Many rotations and personnel usage were not optimal. I failed to maximize the players' strength and potential."

“I will take responsibility! If necessary, I will resign after the season and leave the Lakers.”

"It's all my fault. The players gave their all, they gave everything. I failed to utilize them effectively."

"I am here to apologize to my players, to those who played their lives on the field. I failed to make your efforts and dedication bear fruit, and I failed to make everything you did come to fruition."

"But what I want to say here is: the series has only just begun! The series is less than halfway through."

"We will win the championship! We will have the last laugh! This year's Larry O'Brien Trophy belongs to Los Angeles!"

Jackson was unusually passionate, and he rarely raised his fist and roared at the post-game press conference. He wanted the reporters to fully report on his brilliant and heroic side, and he wanted everyone to see that he also had a passionate and enthusiastic side.

Especially their own players!
As is customary, Lakers players would be watching the post-game press conference live in the locker room at this time, which is a tradition and habit of many teams.

Jackson believes that the Lakers players must have seen what he looked like, and they're probably in tears right now!
After finishing the press conference, Jackson stood up, walked out of the venue with heavy steps and a gloomy face.

Then, when the cameras disappeared and Jackson walked into the players' tunnel and was all alone, his gloomy face turned into a radiant expression of hope, his heavy steps became light, and if he were 20 years younger, Jackson might have jumped up.

He started planning from the very first round!
No, he even started planning from the end of the regular season.

He once hoped that the team would be overtaken by the Warriors, lose its top spot in the league, and that Lin Tian would lose the MVP award, so as to boost the team's morale.

But the team was in such good form that this tactic didn't work.

Then, starting from the first round of the playoffs, Jackson was waiting for the team to run into trouble and fall into difficulties.

No, absolutely not.

Three 4-0 scores forced Jackson to hold back all his tricks; he couldn't use them.

Jackson finally got his chance when the team was down 2-1 in the Finals.

The feeling of honing one's skills to slay a dragon from age 20 all the way to 80, and finally seeing a dragon unleash one's ultimate technique, is truly wonderful!
Jackson even wanted to jump around a few times and shout some slogans to celebrate.

It's been so tough! Waiting until today has been incredibly difficult!
Jackson even blew up a slogan happily, and then he began to imagine in his mind what kind of heroic figure he was among the players.

A lone hero who knows he'll be scolded at the press conference, yet can no longer go alone.

A great coach who would rather endure public condemnation than compromise his players' interests.

A pillar of support for players who, like a father, will stand in their way when they encounter difficulties.

Isn't it a bit too tall?

Jackson couldn't help but smile smugly, shaking his head and continuing to laugh.

But what Jackson had no idea was that what awaited him next would send chills down his spine.

As for why it made his scalp tingle with despair, that goes back to 20 minutes earlier.

That is, right at the beginning of the press conference, when Jackson was answering the first question.

Back then, in the Lakers' locker room, everyone would habitually turn on the TV to see what Jackson said at the press conference.

Then Jackson answered the first question.

"It's all my fault, I will take full responsibility..."

The rest, no one can see.

Durant was furious after a terrible performance tonight, shooting 7-for-19 and committing 4 turnovers.

This guy couldn't hold back and grabbed a chair, smashing the TV to pieces.

"F***! I can't stand this! We're the players, we're the ones on the court, not the coaches. We're the ones getting wrecked by those damn Clevelanders, not the coaches!"

"Now the coach is taking the blame for all this ridicule and mockery on our behalf! I can't accept it, I can't stand it!"

"FUXX!"

Durant cursed again, then looked at Lin Tian and said, "Lin, say something! You're our leader, you should say something!"

"At this moment, you're the only one left! You must help us!"

“That’s right, Lin! It’s only you!” Bynum said from the side, “I played like shit tonight! I don’t want to play like this, I played terribly!”

"I regret it, I really regret going to nightclubs for several nights in a row after beating the Mavericks, which made me completely out of shape! It's all my fault! I even dragged Matt along."

“I shouldn’t have gone! I’m a veteran.” Barnes followed with deep regret, “I should have stopped Andrew, but I was blinded by victory, and I stupidly agreed and went with Andrew!”

"It's my fault. As a veteran, I didn't play the role a veteran should. Not only did I not stop everyone, but I made things worse!" "Me too!" Murphy, who is usually quiet and doesn't like to talk in the locker room, said, "I was completely relaxed. I even took a trip to Las Vegas during the team's break! I haven't made a single three-pointer in the Finals so far."

"Damn it, I didn't make a single damn three-pointer! FUXX! I'm going to practice 300 three-pointers tonight, and even though there are no games tomorrow and the day after, I'll still make 500 three-pointers every day! And on top of that! I'm not going to let myself keep going like this!"

"I'm not here to ride on someone else's coattails to win the championship! Nor am I here to hold anyone back! I'm here to contribute my own strength!"

“I’ll practice Trojan with you!” Terry said with a grim face. “I played terribly too! I only made two more three-pointers than you, and my shooting percentage was less than 35%! Beating the Mavericks and getting revenge is just the beginning.”

"But I treated it as the end! I completely relaxed, I was so stupid! I was such an idiot!"

"When we played against the Mavericks, you trusted me 100%, letting me take the game-winning shot, letting me take the crucial shot, and even when I missed, you still believed in me. But I failed to respond to you, I failed to fulfill my responsibility."

"I won't do that again! I'll stay clear-headed, I'll keep moving forward, and I'll prove that I'm still the best sixth man and the 'Jet'!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Yes! We're terrible!"

"We have let down the coach's trust and support!"

"Lin! Say something! We're all counting on you! We all trust you!"

……

Now that things have come to this point, what else can Lin Tian do?

Phil, I'm sorry!
It's not that I'm disrespecting you, nor that I'm being unreasonable.

It's simply because you're too tolerant, you've gone too far!

If Lin Tian doesn't speak up in this situation, the team will be plunged into a new crisis.

"Quiet!" Lin Tian stood up, stretched out his hand, and gestured for everyone to be quiet and listen to him.

The locker room fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at Lin Tian, ​​waiting for him to speak and for him to change the team's situation.

Lin Tian coughed; he was about to begin.

He glanced one last time at the locker room door, but Jackson didn't appear.

Then don't blame me.

Dude, you can't back down at a time like this.

If Lin Tian were to say something, everyone should be prepared to wait until Phil returns. The team's prestige and the chemistry that the team has worked so hard to build over the past year would, if not collapse instantly, at least disappear by half.

We're in a bind!

Don't blame me.

“We played terribly, not just tonight, but the two games before that were also terrible. We can see that, and Phil certainly can too.”

“He can see that we are no longer focused in training, that we are no longer working hard, that we are going to bars to celebrate before the season is over, and that we are so arrogant that we have forgotten who we are and what our ultimate goal is.”

“He could definitely see all of this, but he didn’t say anything. I think there’s only one reason for that.”

"trust!"

“Phil trusts us 100%, just like we trust each other 100%. We all believe in each other. So when your buddies or brothers call you out, you go out. And when I see you guys going out to have fun, I don’t stop you.”

"It's my fault. I didn't take on the responsibility that a team leader should take. I wasn't competent enough. I did too little. I always felt that everyone had been suppressing their emotions for too long and it was rare for them to be happy. So they should let it all out and get really excited and have some fun."

"But clearly, we've gone too far and made a mess of things!"

"But of course, we should still trust each other, our chemistry should not change, and we should remain the closest comrades-in-arms."

That's all I wanted to say.

"Stay humble, don't forget your original aspirations, continue to stay united, and then, don't let down all those who believe in you!"

"May those who trust you, like you, and idolize you always be able to hold their heads high, speak your name, and be proud of you!"

"Let everyone be proud of us!"

"Be proud of us! Be proud of us!"

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"

"In the next game, we'll make the Cavaliers pay!"

"Kill them!"

"Go back to Los Angeles and win the championship!"

"Glory belongs to Los Angeles!"

"Champion! We want the championship!"

"Quiet!" Lin Tian waved his hand again, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Then tomorrow, our training session, originally scheduled for 10 a.m., will be moved up to 8:30 a.m. Everyone be on time. We'll use more training to help our bodies get back into shape."

"Let's get back in shape, let's get back to our best!"

"Let's tie the score in the fourth game!"

"Tie the score!"

Victory is certain!

Victory is certain!

The Lakers players cheered and shouted, demonstrating their determination; they were now fully awake.

Or perhaps the Lakers didn't have any real problems; they were simply a bit complacent. Their previous games had gone too smoothly, which made them overconfident, and that's all.

But after realizing their mistakes and after the Cavaliers won two straight games, the Lakers players have come to their senses.

They knew they were wrong; they knew their previous problems were too big.

In this situation, it would be too easy for the team to regain its rhythm and confidence.

No one can wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

Conversely, anyone can pull someone who wants to get out of bed from their bed.

The Lakers are in that situation right now. Everyone is awake and just waiting for someone to yell "Get up!" so they can immediately get into the game!
Ultimately, everyone in the team longed for a championship. This team had just encountered a perfectly normal problem. In fact, if it weren't for Lin Tian, ​​Jackson, and others wanting to create a dynasty and win championships for many consecutive years, it would have been a different story.

He wouldn't have made such a small, trivial problem!

The reason this problem became the root cause of the team losing two games is because it was intentional on the part of guys like Lin Tian and Jackson.

They tolerate evil and are just waiting for an opportunity to eradicate the root of the problem.

In this situation, reviving and boosting morale would be incredibly easy!

And so, the Lakers recovered with ease.

What no one saw was Jackson's completely frozen face outside the locker room.

The old man happened to come back at that moment and heard the players roaring that they would win.

Jackson could tell from the players' resounding voices that they truly wanted to win and wanted the championship! They genuinely believed they could win.

Confidence has completely returned.

Can……

I haven't even gone inside yet!

I haven't even started my speech yet, but I've already written my speech!

What should I do now? Crush it up and throw it in the trash?
Jackson was completely depressed. The more triumphant and happy he had been on his way here, the more blank and lifeless his expression became.

It's frozen in time, completely frozen in time.

Of course, there was also good news: the smile that had just been on his face had completely frozen.

He maintained a smile, but his expression was quite blank.

At least when the Lakers players spotted Jackson, he was smiling.

"The coach is here! The coach is here! Bynum has spotted Jackson."

"The coach is smiling! The coach is happy! He's happy for us. He knows we did it, we did it all by ourselves!" Durant exclaimed excitedly. "Coach! We're back! We understand! We won't let you down!"

"We'll definitely win the next game!" Terry patted his chest and stood up, saying to Jackson, "For your trust! For your trust in us!"

"And for all the ridicule, insults, and unfair treatment you've endured for us!" Bynum pulled Jackson into the locker room, placing Jackson in the center.

"We are the best! We are the champions!" Kobe shouted, raising his arms. "All the doubts, suspicions, and insults that the coach endured for us tonight were not for nothing! We will get justice for you."

"Victory! Championship! We are the strongest! We will win the championship!" Barnes cheered, raising his arms in celebration.

"Not just championships, but a dynasty! Our goal is to create a dynasty!" Lin Tian looked at Jackson, a hint of helplessness still lingering in his eyes.

It's not that I'm being unreasonable, it's just that I couldn't refuse such hospitality. (End of Chapter)